THIS week marked a celebration for movie Kalushi which on Human Rights’s Day made R254 452 at Box Office which grossed a total of R1 614 773 with 28 755 attendances within 12 days of hitting local cinemas.
The film directed by Mandla Dube, is a biopic of the life of struggle activist Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu which has taken nearly nine years to complete and tells the story of Kalushi (played by Thabo Rametsi) whose life was ended at the age of 23 by execution during the height of apartheid.
Within seven days at the cinema it had made R783 877, as it’s actors Rametsi, Thabo Malema, Pearl Thusi and more have been campaigning on social media rallying locals to go watch the film, and although it’s working the film could find itself being removed at several cinemas if it doesn’t make the top five highest grossing films by the end of this week.
And this is an ongoing problem in South African film distribution, a fight many filmmakers know such as Akin Omotoso, whose film Tell Me Sweet Something was booted off box office from some suburban cinemas when it didn’t make the top tier of most watched films at the cinemas.
In 2015, Sunday Times reported a story about the plight local films face while the Afrikaans genres seemed to soar in numbers at cinemas and various issues seemed evident when looking at the demographics and the issues of why audiences don’t watch local films, can’t access them and why local films can make as little to nothing at cinemas.
One issue prevalent to local films was the access to cinemas from townships and rural areas which actress Florence Masebe who starred in Vhenda film Elelwani - w